panel of judges on March
7, 2010 at Satterfield‘s in
New Roads. They were
interviewed by a group of
judges as well. Howarneshia‘s essay was selected
as one of the five first place
winners who will travel to
Washington D.C. this June
and participate in the
NRECA ―Government-inAction‖ Youth Tour and
Conference. The contest is
open to all high school

juniors who are members of Pointe Coupee
Electric and to all high
school juniors attending
Plaquemine High, St.
John High, Livonia
High, Pointe Coupee
Central, False River
Academy, Catholic High
of Pointe Coupee, and
Port Allen High School.
Congratulations
Howarneshia. We are
PROUD of you!!!

Earthquake devastates Haiti: Aid pours in
Beta Club and Student Council raise funds
On January 13, 2010, an
earthquake with a 7.0 magnitude struck less than ten miles
away from Haiti‘s capital city
of Port-au-Prince. The initial
quake was then followed by
twelve aftershocks greater
than 5.0 magnitude. Almost all
structures of all kinds were
destroyed or damaged including national landmarks. Immediately after the quake,
countries all over the world
rushed to give aid to Haiti.
However, this proved difficult
with Haiti‘s only airport needing to be rebuilt. As soon as
the airport was repaired, a
schedule and restrictions were
prepared stating for when
planes could land, how much
time they had to unload, and
the time they needed to take
off to open up the landing
strip for others, since only a
few planes at a time could
land. The number one priority
was first aid and medical supplies, then food and water, and
heavy equipment to help dig
survivors out of the rubble.
Dozens of survivors were
found alive after being buried
under heavy rubble. Some survivors having even gone a
whole week or more under the
debris with no food or water,
and little oxygen. Three weeks
later, organizations from all
over the world, including the
UN were working hard to pro-

vide the food, supplies, and
medical aid needed. The
death toll is estimated to be
in the 200,000s. Many victims needed to be airlifted to
hospitals in the United
States or to military medical
ships waiting on the coast.
Once the search for survivors in the rubble was called
off, the focus was toward
setting up tent cities on the
countryside‘s that began
distributing food to the
thousands of people that
had been displaced. Yet even
with all these efforts, the
Haitian police and military
from other countries were
having a hard time controlling the looters and rioters
who were pillaging, looking
for food and water to stay
alive. Many became angry
with the painfully slow process of getting international
aid, which lead them to
harm others by any means
necessary. Adding to the
violence was the criminals
who were on the loose after
a prison was damaged in the
quake. Police and military
personnel arrested those
breaking the law,
while
keeping the peace and
making
sure everyone received much needed supplies. However, things continued to get worse with the
military and police working

A view of the badly damaged presidential palace, the center portion
formerly 3 stories tall, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, shows the extent of the
destruction.

Residents sleep in the streets after the earthquake.

trafficking with so many
children becoming orphans, adding to the large
number of children who
were in orphanages at the
time of the quake. Outside
of Haiti, all over the world,
people of all kinds continue
donating money to aid the
Haitians. One in particular
is the ‗Hope for Haiti‘ telethon, a star-studded event
that took place on January
22, and featured more than
100 actors, musicians, and
other celebrities who performed and answered tele-

phones to take donations.
The telethon raised more
than $58 million in donations via phone, online,
not including donations
by corporations and large
private donors. As the
days ahead for the people
in Haiti seem uncertain,
the help coming their way
is not. Students at
Plaquemine High can
help by donating what
they can to aid the people
in Haiti. See any Beta or
student council officer to
make a donation. Staff
writer Caroline Williams

Page 2

Devil’s Pride

Volume I, Issue IV

Page 3

ROTC Inspection
On January 29, 2010, Plaquemine
High School‘s MCJROTC program
withstood inspection. They were
inspected by the district officer, Lt.
Col. Storman. The purpose of inspection is to ensure that the program is
following Marine Corps expectations
and standards. The program is inspected in areas of administration
and cadet personnel. Inspectors verify that the instructors are within
Marine Corps standards of weight
and height and that they are doing
their jobs. Their job is to make sure
administrative work is being done,
such as cadet record books and the
upkeep of logistics. Cadets are inspected in their uniforms and their
performance of armed and unarmed
drill. Marine Instructor Sgt. Maj.
Justice quotes that ―the inspection
went well because of inspection practice and the upper class cadets.‖ Practice was held in the small gym where
JROTC cadets were placed in the
formations they would have to stand
in during the inspection on Friday.
Sgt. Maj. Justice was even more impressed with the new cadets, who

may not have been in the program for
longer than a month, but still stood
inspection. These cadets did not
know much about the program, but
showed remarkable character to
wear uniforms and stand inspection
so soon. Senior Marine Instructor
Sgt. Maj. Browder stated, ―The cadets
looked extraordinary and many
stepped up to the challenge.‖ The
motivation of the upper class cadets
was evident in those cadets who
stood inspection for the first time.
The cadets demonstrated great lead-

ership and both Marine instructors
are proud of the cadets who stood
inspection and those cadets who
helped make the inspection a success.
The PHS program was found mission
capable. Mission capable means that
the program is running smoothly,
with little discrepancies, but not necessarily excelling in all areas. Mission
capable programs pass inspection
and are inspected again in two years.
Staff writer Kaleb Banks

JUNIORS TOUR LSU
On January 18, the junior class
visited LSU. They received information regarding the admission
requirements. Students need a
2.5 or higher GPA and an ACT
score must be a 22 or higher.
Financial Aid is available. The
college also provides jobs for the
students to be able to work and
attend school. While there, students also learned a little of LSU‘s
history. They were told the story
of how LSU‘s colors were chosen.
In a game against Tulane, LSU
wanted to show that they had
spirit, so they went to a nearby
store to purchase paraphenalia.
Since it was Mardi Gras, all the
store had was purple and gold

The Dean and the administrators
did not want to change them
because the students loved the
colors and continued to wear
them to school. The students also
learned that LSU did not always
have a stadium. The governor
asked the legislature to fund a
football stadium and was denied.
He then asked for funding for a
building where students could
hang out. The legislature granted
the funding. When finished, they
realized that the ―hangout‖ was
more of a stadium than a place
for students to hang out. The
juniors enjoyed the tour and look
forward to visiting other universities this year. Tyla Hall

Faculty Focus - Mrs. Jennifer Purnell

Mrs. Purnell lectures and takes questions from
students in her biology class.

Biologyâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; the study of life.
There aren't many words
that can describe this subject but the amazing interaction of organisms. PHS Biology teacher Mrs. Jennifer
Purnell teaches students this
interaction and helps them
become more interested in
life.
As a student, Mrs. Purnell
didn't fit into any of the
groups but was loved by all
of her classmates. She was
very active as a student. She
was on the yearbook staff
and was a member of the
French Club. She graduated
high school within the top
25 of her class.
Mrs. Purnell attended college at LSU. She majored in
microbiology and minored
in chemistry and also took
education classes. After her
college graduation in 1991,
she went to New Orleans to
pursue a medical career.

Mrs. Purnell began to work
in labs at the University of
Michigan. She worked in a
pathology lab. She then returned to New Orleans to
work in a lab at Tulane University. After working in labs,
she earned her teaching degree in 2007. She taught
Chemistry in Ohio for a year
until she moved back to Louisiana.
Mrs. Purnell says that she
loves to teach. She loves her
students, and she loves the
challenges and plethora of
ideas that her students present.
She says that she
wishes to teach for the rest of
her life.
Mrs. Purnell is the sponsor
for the PHS Dazzlers, Class
of 2011 sponsor, and 4-H
sponsor. Kaleb Banks

Mrs. Purnell encourages peer tutoring and
often assists students one-on-one. Her
students often go to lab. The student
above is dissecting a starfish.

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Devilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pride

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Volume I, Issue IV

Classroom Activities
7th and 8th graders
manipulate movables in
math & write essays in
English
The students in both Mrs. Byrant‘s and
Mrs. Allen‘s classes are being positive
and working in groups. Mrs. Byrant‘s
class is shown working on a project in
math to become better math students.
Mrs. Allen‘s students are peer editing
essays. All teachers are trying to make
their classes fun while teaching students
the necessary GLEs to master the Leap
and iLeap tests. Tyla Hall
“I cannot teach
anybody anything, I
can only make them
think.” Socrates

Local radio personality and
author Michael Pasqua visited
juniors and seniors in February
to share his new book, MFP 3:16.

Local radio personality and new
author, Michael Pasqua visited
juniors and seniors in Mrs.
LeBlanc‘s and Mrs. A. Williams‘s
classes recently. Michael discussed his new book as well as
his radio activities with students

and explained how to publish a
book and produce a talk radio
show. He is shown with seniors
Heath Brown and Lauren Carlin.
Ashley Porch

Green Devil Basketball
―We‘re Number 1!‖ was heard in
the halls of PHS when the Green
Devil basketball team entered
playoff action Friday, February
28, at home. The Devils squared
off against John McDonough for
the opportunity go to the quarterfinals. The Devils wished for another home playoff game due to
their high ranking but had to
travel to Richwood. Jump off
was at 7:00 p.m. The team came
out with a tough loss. The score
was 50-47. Great job Devils! You
are Number 1 in our hearts!

The PHS boys‘
basketball team
had a great season reaching the quarterfinals
and losing by a narrow margin. The team leaders were
Jeffery Ricard, Trevon Hawkins, Adonis Major, Demarcus
Watts, and Jeremy Jenkins. It
was a great team effort and
was greatly supported by the
Plaquemine community. Two
fan busses carried students,
faculty members, cheerleaders, and family members of
the players for the long four
hour ride to Monroe. They
were not disappointed with
the team‘s effort. The team
truly appreciated all of the
support it received from its
fans this year. Green Devil
fans are tops!

Jeffrey Ricard had a great
season. He scored a game
high 24 points against
Richwood and was a key
scorer in all of the games
this season. His speed and
agility also made him instrumental in the team‘s
defensive effort this season. His season will end
on March 20, in Natchitoches when he plays on the
Allstar West team. Congratulations and thanks for
a great season. Jasmine Mellion

Quarterfinals
PHS vs Richwood
47 –50

Faculty Coaches revealed!
PHS basketball players
learned who their generous faculty coaches were,
and had a chance to thank
them for all that they do.

Page 6

Devil’s Pride

Volume I, Issue IV

Page 7

PHS Spirit!
PHS Dazzlers

PHS Step Team

PHS has re-established its dance team, the Dazzlers.
The Dazzlers have been performing at football and
basketball games throughout this school year. We have
the Dazzlers‘ sponsors, Mrs. Jennifer Purnell and Mrs.
Patricia Hayes to thank for this. The following girls
make up the new generation of dazzlers: Erica
Anderson, Gaylan Lewis, Dernisha Deloch, Dianna
Georgetown, Courtney Martin, Dequanda James, Jamie
Sanders, My‘Khail Hines, and managers, Lauren Carlin
and Shelby Dickerson. Taylar Brown

Plaquemine High School recently formed a new step
team. Tryouts were held the week of January 25.
Sponsors of the step team are Mrs. Theodoris McNair
(Thyssen) and Mrs. Tiffany Bosley. Congratulations
to the following members of the new PHS Step Team
pictured practicing below: Naudia Armstead, Niosha
Price, Ebony Mosby, Tanisha Banks, Myria Scott,
D‘Marquis Atkins, Cartina Little, Kayla Young, Kiasha Duplessis, Danasha Rachal, Geralneisha Becnel,
Tiera Morgan, and Marquita Spriggs. D’Marquis Atkins

PHS
Cheerleaders
The Plaquemine High cheerleaders
are doing an amazing job cheering
for our Mighty Green Devils. The
cheerleaders cheered the football
team to a good record of 6-4 and to
the first round of the playoffs. The
cheerleaders led the basketball team
to a 32-2 record. ―We support our
players by traveling to every game.
We love cheering our green devils
and look forward to baseball and
softball.‖ Ashley Porch
―GO BIG GREEN!‖

PHS 1st Annual Math Bee
On March 3, 2010, Plaquemine High
School had its first math competition or ―Math Bee‖ honoring World
Math Day. There were participants
from each grade level. The competition consisted of three groups: 7th
and 8th grade in one group, 9th and
10th in the second group, and 11th
and 12th in the final group. In the
first round, the three groups took a
test on their grade level to narrow
the number of participants down to
three winners in each group. The
final round was a quiz bowl type
competition in which the three winners from each group competed
against each other until there was
one final winner left in each of the
following groups. The three overall
winners were Jessica Granier (11th-

& 12th grade), Julie Schouest (9th10th grade), and Alyssa Williams
(7th-8th grade). The winners received a $50 gift card to the place of
their choice. Special thanks to Mrs.
Pierce and Mrs. Mosby for sponsoring and overseeing the entire
competition and also to the Class of
2011 for organizing the event and
providing the prizes. Kaleb Banks

PHS held a Geography Bee that was
open to the 7th through 12th grades. It
was held on January 18, 2010. About
50 students attended the bee and eight
rounds were held. Joshua Randall was
the winner of the Geography Bee. The
sponsor, Ms. Bosley said that the bee
was a huge success and assisted
students in preparing for state testing
in March and April. Kaleb Banks

Devil’s Pride

Volume I, Issue IV

Page 9

Green Devil All Stars
All State Wrestler

Von Lanaux placed in
fifth in his weight class at
the state wrestling tournament recently. He competed at the 189 eight class
where he was 10-7. This is
Von‘s second year of wrestling. His quick success is
a result of his work ethic;
he never missed a practice
or tournament. His outlook for next year is promising where he has a
chance of making it to the
top 3. Congratulations
Von! We are proud of you!

Reginald Travis signs
football scholarship
with University of Memphis
PHS wide receiver, Reginald Travis,
signed a freshman scholarship with the
University of Memphis. Mr. Travis
expressed his feelings in an interview. He
said, ―I think that God wants me to be
there. I feel very blessed that I've gotten
the scholarship. I feel that this is a good
opportunity for me to exploit my true
talents in the football environment.‖
Travis was looking at a total of
four
other scholarships from Tulane, Southeastern, Northwestern, and the University of Central Arkansas. Travis is looking
forward to playing four seasons in five
years. ―I would like to thank the following: first and foremost God, my family,
friends, coaches, church family, and my

teachers,‖ says the humble wide
receiver. May God keep blessing you
and giving you opportunities to have a
better future. D’Marquis Atkins

Saint‘s Win Superbowl
On Sunday, February 7, 2010, the New Orleans Saints
made history when they soundly defeated the Indianapolis Colts in the Superbowl. Port Allen‘s Tracey
Porter clinched the victory with an interception late in
the fourth quarter. On the road to the Superbowl, the
Saints defeated the Minnesota Vikings in overtime to
win the NFC Championship. Two players were key to
this victory. Tracey Porter intercepted a pass from
Brett Favre to give the Saints a chance to gain field goal
position. Garrett Hartley, the rookie kicker kicked a
40- yarder for the win. The final score of the intense
game was 31 to 28. The Saints finished with a record of
13 and 3. Saints fans are ecstatic and cannot wait for
next season. WHO DAT?!?

Students in Mrs. C.
Olivier’s pro-start
class prepare a
shrimp & corn soup
on a cold day!
Rachel Lanieu serves up a steaming bowl of the
delicious soup on a cold day. Yum!

Students prepare a meal as part of their training in
pro-start. Students in the class prepare for a career in
the food industry.

GUESS WHO?
1.

2.

1. __________________

2. _________________

3.

3. ________________

Can you guess the faculty members and students?

4.

4. __________________

5.

5. _________________

6.

6. _________________

Page 12
Devilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pride

Volume I, Issue IV

Quotes

Page 13

―Very few people are ambitious in the sense of having a specific image of what they want to

achieve. Most people's sights are only toward the next run, the next increment of money.‖
-Judith M. Bardwick
―Every child has great ambitions. As he grows, he is bombarded by negative suggestions -- you
can't do this; you can't do that; be careful; look for security, and so on. Year by year, he experiences the 'realities' of life, and his ambitions fade away. Figuratively speaking, most children die
by the time they reach their adulthood.‖ -Shall Sinha
―When reality overcomes the dream, All sanity is lost in the depth.‖ -Anonymous
―The great artist is a slave to his ideals.‖-Christian Nevell Bovee

I am a rock group that has four members, all of who are dead, one of whom
was assassinated. What am I?
I'm hard as a rock, and as light as a feather. I'm passed on to one another. Poor
people need me, and rich people have me. What am I?
Pronounced as one letter, And written with three, Two letters there are, And two
only in me. I'm double, I'm single, I'm black, blue, and gray, I'm read from both
ends, And the same either way. What am I?

Trivia
Bad Predictions
"What can you conceive more silly and extravagant than to suppose a man racking his brains, and
studying night and day how to fly?" English Author William Law
"I believe firmly that more patients have died from the use of gloves than have ever been saved from
infection by their use." Dr. W.P. Carr, 1911
"Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote.‖ President Grover Cleveland, 1905
"In 15 years, more electricity will be sold for electric vehicles than for light." Thomas Edison, 1910

Devil’s Pride is everywhere!!
Devil’s Pride online!
The newspaper can now be
found online. Editions will be
posted shortly after publication.
Please tell your family and
friends to check us out on the
world wide web @ www.issuu.
com/plaqueminehighschool or
at Plaquemine High‘s School‘s
official website linked to
www.ipsb.net under schools/
high schools.

We can also be found on the
school‘s new webpage.
It is
attached to the district webpage.
The paper can be found under
―Clubs.‖
Copies can also be
purchased from any staff member
for $1.00.
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Prices are: